C261

"Who are the spies?" He Long did not directly answer his subordinates' questions. Looking at the robust men beneath the city gate tower, he believed that most of these men were meticulous in their actions.

Tian Ye and Dong Wu's campsite were a few kilometers away. Coincidentally, there were some small villages there, and the scouts reported that Tian Ye and Dong Wu's soldiers had looted the entire village and taken all the food away, causing all the villagers to flee towards the Red Mountain City.

He Long understood that by doing so, they would only want their men to blend in with these civilians. It would be a good thing for them to learn about it in the city, or to cause trouble within the city.

They were trying to put him in a difficult position. When the two armies were fighting, they were deliberately letting the civilians come to surrender. This was a test. If he didn't open the city gates, he was just watching the people die.

As He Long paced back and forth on the city gate, it could be seen that he was temporarily unable to make up his mind. Red Mountain City was Lou Lan's main gate. If he failed here, Lou Lan would be in danger.

"General, I received a message from the prince!" Just as He Long was hesitating, the soldier ran up to the tower and delivered the message that he had just received.

He Long opened the letter and finally revealed a trace of a smile on his face. He shouted, "Send the message, our reinforcements will arrive by noon!"

The soldiers guarding the city gate tower heard the news and all became excited. As soon as the reinforcements arrived, they would not be afraid even if all the enemy troops gathered to attack the city!

He ordered the deputy general beside him, "Open the city gate and let the civilians in, but you have to take them all in, don't let anyone get separated, then separate the women, elders, children and young men, especially the young man, you have to have more people around. If you find anything wrong, kill them all!"

"Yes." The vice general ordered his men to immediately follow his instructions.

As long as the army arrived, they would have nothing to worry about. No matter what tactics the enemy used, they would suppress them with all their might.

After the city gates were opened, the soldiers surrounded the exit, waiting for the citizens to enter the city. According to General He Long's order just now, the men and women were separated, the women and children and elders gathered together, and the man was kept in another corner.

"What are you guys doing? Why are you separating us?" In the crowd, there were people who were constantly questioning him.

Everyone wanted to push and push each other. They all wanted to squeeze into the side of their loved ones. Suddenly, the scene became chaotic.

"Listen carefully, now that the two armies are at war, we will separate you only to prevent enemy spies from joining in. As long as you cooperate well, we will not make things difficult for you. After this battle is over, we will release you."

After hearing these words, the hundreds of commoners seemed to calm down a bit. The two armies were currently in a battle, so the possibility of spies sneaking in was very high. Everyone looked at Vice General Li and remained silent.

"Take them away. Watch them carefully." After stabilizing the situation, Lieutenant General Li immediately ordered his men to take them away and switch them on and off.

It was almost noon. The 60,000 strong army led by Helian Tactic had finally arrived at Red Mountain City!

"This general pays his respect to Your Highness!" He Long guarded the city gate with all his might and finally called for reinforcements.

"Stand up, you did well this time!" Helian Jue dismounted and went forward to help him up.

He Long had been following him all these years. Fortunately, he was in charge of Red Mountain City this time. If it were anyone else, he would have been quite worried.

"Thank you for your praise, Your Highness. This is your duty!" He Long stood up and followed He Long into the city.

This was Cen Xue's second time coming to Red Mountain City. However, the first time was because she had been riding on a horse carriage. She had followed the army back to the capital and passed through Red Mountain City.

"Phoenix, look. There are a lot of small things over there." Bai Lu looked at the stalls on the street. She was so happy that she didn't even think about it.

"Yeah, it's quite interesting. After you settle down, I'll accompany you for a stroll." Cen Xue looked at her happy expression and wondered how long it had been since she had left the mountain. Previously when she was here, Bai Lu had been taking care of her. At least two months had passed.

Helian Jue was walking in front when he suddenly thought of something. He turned his head to look at Phoenix and the others, and instructed He Long, "Order someone to arrange a place for Miss Phoenix and the rest to stay."

"Yes, Your Highness, don't worry. There are still several guest rooms in the mansion." He Long replied.

Although this was a small city at the border, Red Mountain City was Lou Lan's national gateway. Since heavy soldiers had been guarding the city for a long time, they had naturally built a relatively simple mansion in the city specially for the city guards.

"One more thing. The king's carriage will arrive in a few days. I still need to make some preparations." Helian Jue had almost forgotten about this matter.

"If the king himself wishes to come, then this lowly general will immediately send someone to arrange his residence." He Long did not dare tarry any longer and hurriedly ordered his men to arrange things, afraid of incurring the king's wrath.

Cen Xue and co. followed behind them. When she heard what Helian Jue had said, a glint flashed across her eyes. She would arrive in a few days … Great...

Helian Jue's gaze looked behind him, just in time to see Phoenix standing there in a daze. Looking at the excited look in her eyes, he actually felt a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen her eyes before.

"Phoenix, what are you doing there?" Helian Jue couldn't help but ask her.

Being intimidated by his loud voice, Cen Xue finally regained Phoenix's identity. She awkwardly looked at Bai Lu and Qing Song and muttered, "No …" "It's nothing, don't mind me …"

"Since there's nothing else, then let's go." Helian Jue sized her up before continuing to walk forward.

The mansion wasn't too big, and the king would be back in a few days, so there definitely wasn't enough rooms, so it wasn't possible to have one for each of them.

After putting down her luggage, Cen Xue walked around the manor by herself. Compared to the palace, this place was not even the size of Xingqing Palace.

In the front and back two small courtyards, the front courtyard was the main hall, which was also where the men held their meetings. In the back was the dining hall, followed by the east wing, where the master stayed. As guests, they were all living in the west wing.

"What does Miss Phoenix think of this king's manor?" Phoenix turned the corner and was about to return to the west wing when she heard a familiar shout coming from behind her.

Yes, the man who called her from behind was the real deal. How should she deal with him?

After hesitating for a while, Cen Xue took a deep breath to make it more natural for her to look at him. She turned around and looked at him, "So it's your highness. Although this mansion is not big, it's still considered good in this small border city."

As Helian Jue walked in, his deep eyes quietly sized up Phoenix, who was standing in front of him. Even though he had only met her a few times, and they had never spoken a single word before, why did he feel a sense of familiarity towards her?

He had wanted to go to the city not too long ago. Yet, why did that gaze that he had inadvertently seen touch the deepest part of his heart?

Cen Xue saw that he didn't say anything and just stared blankly at her. Could she have exposed a flaw? That's impossible!

"Your highness? Your highness?" The body called out to him.

Phoenix had been on Everlasting Mountain for a long time, so she rarely went down the mountain. Therefore, her skin was considered fair compared to the rest of the ladies in Lou Lan Nation. She had a pair of perky eyes, which made her seem extremely intelligent.

"Prince …" Cen Xue also called out to him.

"Huh?" This time, it had finally allowed Helian Fu's soul to return.

"Cough cough, my apologies, Miss Phoenix. Just now, this duke …" Helian Jue wanted to explain himself but couldn't seem to find any excuse.

"It's fine, but do you have any other matters, Your Highness? If there is nothing else, Phoenix will return to her room first. " Cen Xue looked at his dazed eyes. Had she really revealed a flaw?

"Wait, This King actually has something to ask you." Helian Jue actually stopped her because he wanted to ask her about Cen Xue's situation at Everlasting Mountain.

"What is it?" Cen Xue asked.

"Queen …" How is the queen on Everlasting Mountain? " Helian Jue felt that his question was stupid. Cen Xue was already dead but he still dared to ask his this question.

Cen Xue saw the hurt in his eyes when he said this and understood his heart. If she was asked who she had failed in her life, she would answer. The only thing she had failed at in this life was his love for He Lian.

"The queen is very well. Elder Mu Yue used our sect's thousand-year ice coffin to keep the queen's body. After this battle is over, the prince can go up the mountain to see the queen." Cen Xue's heart was moved. No matter how much she failed, in his heart, he could still think of her.

His persistence caused Cen Xue to feel extremely guilty. If there really was an afterlife, she would definitely make her decision.

"Alright, after it is over, This King will definitely go up the mountain to see her." Helian Jue's voice instantly became incomparably gentle, as if he was suppressing something.

"Then Phoenix will take her leave first. Your highness, you still have to go to the city gate tower to patrol, right?" Cen Xue wanted to find an opportunity to leave.

"Alright, go back and rest." Helian Jue nodded. Before he turned around to leave, she left as if he was indeed heading towards the outside of the mansion.

Cen Xue looked at his back as he left, thinking of his loneliness and sadness …

Ever since the 60,000 strong army led by Helian Jue had arrived at Red Mountain City, the number of people on guard in the main roads and city towers had doubled. Helian Jue personally went up to the city wall to let the scouts see that the army of Lou Lan had arrived at Red Mountain City.

As expected, the news quickly reached Xing AoTian and the Nangong father and son. They did not expect Lou Lan's army to arrive so quickly. They had thought that they would be two or three days late!

"General Nan Gong, right now, the armies in Red Mountain City are evenly matched, there might even be more. How do you think we should break through them?" Xing Ao Tian's face was solemn. If the army of Dong Wu had arrived a few days earlier, it wouldn't have delayed Lou Lan's reinforcements.